Facebook hashtag fails to take off, reveals a study

The study by a social media analytics firm showed that although 20 percent of Facebook posts among top brands now include hashtags, however, there is no evidence that such tactics is influencing their engagement.

Hashtags provide users a way to group messages of similar content. Researchers show that posts using the newly introduced hashtags perform only as well as those without it, suggesting that users are not yet finding brand posts by their tags.

The study showed that visual content is by far the primary driver for engagement on Facebook.

Pictures posted by top brands average more than 9,400 engagements, which includes likes, comments and shares, per post, while videos average more than 2,500, a business daily reported.

Researchers said when it comes to text posts, brands must walk a fine line.

Analysis of more than 500 status updates from the top brands shows that the longer a status update is, the less engagement it typically receives.

However, if a status update is too short — less than 50 characters — it may not be long enough to capture viewers' attention or provide the necessary context to drive the number of likes, shares and comments a company would like.

"For most brands, Facebook is no longer just a network; it has become the hub of their social marketing efforts and one of the most effective ways to engage with fans," said Adam Schoenfeld, CEO of the firm Simply Measured.